Cinderella (A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes)
by melicitysmoak
Summary: Iris West convinces BF Felicity Smoak to join a reality TV show dating contest. One very lucky girl from their hometown of Starling gets to win a dinner date with none other than Oliver Queen, Hollywood superstar whom Felicity is a big fan of. It's a rare chance for Felicity's dream to come true, but will OQ even give her a second look? He just might...when he sees her panda flats.
1. Chapter 1

**CINDERELLA (A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes)**

* * *

 **Hi! Here's another Olicity AU version of a well-loved classic Disney fairy tale. This is the third in the series of Olicity fairy tale versions, and I really hope you like it. It's supposed to be just a one-shot, but someone made me rethink it, so now it's going to have three chapters. Please, do let me know what you think.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own ARROW and CINDERELLA. They belong to DC, the CW, Warner Bros. and Disney.**

 **Summary: Best friend Iris West convinces Felicity Smoak to join a reality TV show dating contest when she finds out that one very lucky girl from their very own Starling Town gets to win a dinner date with none other than Oliver Queen, Hollywood superstar whom Felicity is a big fan of. Iris thinks it's the perfect yet rare opportunity for her friend's dream to come true. Problem is, Felicity is her self's worst fan and needs a major push. Will Oliver Queen even give her a second look? He just might... when he sees her panda flats. :-)**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

"Felicity, you have got to go!" Iris exclaimed. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

Felicity Smoak and her best friend Iris West have been video chatting for the last thirty minutes. Iris has been trying to convince Felicity to join a reality TV dating show that was scheduled to shoot in Starling Town, where they both had grown up in. Felicity had stayed in Starling all her life, but Iris had moved to Central City after college when she had landed a job there as a celebrity news reporter.

Being a celebrity news reporter, Iris kept herself abreast with entertainment news, gossips, and rumors. She was also a huge fan of reality TV shows. And when she got wind that the popular television dating show _H.E.A. Today_ was going to be doing an episode in their hometown of Starling, she just knew that her best friend needed to be on that show. It wasn't just because she wanted her friend to experience how wonderful and amazing it was to find true love like she had found with Barry Allen. It was also because she knew that if Felicity were to finally find true happiness with someone special, it would have to be with someone who wasn't from Starling. In her humble opinion, no one in their small, once-obscure town deserved Felicity Smoak. Her best friend was far too special to settle for someone less than what she deserved, now or ever, even when her biological clock started to tick.

Felicity was beautiful, bright, and brilliant. Sure, she babbled here and there whenever she was nervous, tense, or excited. But if intelligence and wit were superpowers, she would have saved the world time and again, given the chance. But life had been hard for her. Too hard.

Her father, from whom she had inherited the genius genes, had died when she was only seven. It had devastated her, having lost the only person in her life that had truly understood her quirks and the way her mind worked. Noah Kuttler Smoak had had dreamed big dreams for his daughter. Her mother Donna had worked two jobs as a waitress in a diner and as a housekeeper and nanny for the wealthiest family in town, the Bertinellis. Later on, Frank Bertinelli's wife of Russian descent had died, leaving the businessman with two daughters, Helena and Isabel, whom Donna Smoak had taken care of like her own children. Unsurprisingly, Donna had fallen in love with Mr. Bertinelli and eventually married him, making him Felicity's stepfather.

Moving into the Bertinelli house at the heart of Starling Town and adjusting to her new life had been difficult. Felicity had been very understanding, because she loved her mother and wanted her to be happy. She had only asked her mother for one thing – that she keep her father's name and not be adopted by Frank Bertinelli. She had seen that marrying Mr. Bertinelli not only made her mother happy; the marriage had also provided well for both of them, and her mother no longer had to work to give her a future. However, something about the Bertinelli family had always been "off" for Felicity, and she had wisely seen in advance what was to come.

During one of her mother and stepfather's vacations, just a year after their wedding, a skiing accident in Aspen completely orphaned Felicity Smoak. Frank Bertinelli had promised to take good care of her, telling her that he owed Donna as much. He had told her that she had already become a part of the family – which had also meant that she had to share not only in the privileges, but also in the responsibilities that came with it.

After her mother's funeral, which was done following the Jewish traditions of Donna's side of the family, Felicity soon discovered exactly what her stepfather had meant. Mr. Bertinelli and her stepsisters had shown their true colors. The wolves had shed off their wooly sheep's clothing.

* * *

"Lis? Hey, where did you go off to?" Iris asked her friend.

Felicity was staring right into her iPhone's camera, and it looked like she was still listening to her best friend's long list of reasons why she should consider lining up with close to a hundred single girls in town. But really, her mind had wandered off minutes ago the moment Iris had mentioned that Oliver Queen was the celebrity bachelor that was to be featured on the episode of _H.E.A. Today_ – the guy that one very lucky small-town girl will get to go on a dinner date with, if and when she gets picked by him.

Oliver Queen. Drop-dead gorgeous Oliver Queen.

Felicity had never liked action movies, but when Iris had introduced her to Oliver Queen's conspiracy theory and action-suspense movies, she had made sure to watch every single one of them, including the movies and indie films that he had appeared in before he had become one of Hollywood's most famous leading men and won an Oscar for his very first superhero movie, _The Green Arrow_. Oh, it was more than just his superb acting ability. It was also his perfectly chiseled jaw line, stubbled just right, and his attractively cropped hair. It was his broad shoulders and the well-toned muscles of his arms, chest, and abs, often hidden underneath his shirts onscreen, but still very much noticeable. Most of all, it was definitely his captivating blue eyes. She loved staring into those blue hues whenever she flipped through magazines and gaze at his fantastic headshots, or whenever film edits had him looking straight at the camera as if he were staring back at her, as she watched his motion picture on the silver screen. He was just so, so good to look at.

Felicity had always wondered what it would be like to actually listen to his voice or maybe even his laughter, to carry on even just a casual conversation with him, to smell him, to touch him or hold his hand. Yet, she knew that given the chance, she might not even be able to say a word or even blink. She hadn't even met her crush in person, but she was already far gone. She had been able to keep her fangirling a secret from her step-family and hometown acquaintances, but not from Iris West. Her best friend knew her all too well.

"Come on, Lis. Please say you'll go," Iris pleaded with her. "I know how much the most gorgeous Queen in the world means to you. Don't tell me you'll pass on this very rare chance."

"Iris…"

"Admit it, Felicity. You _want_ to do this. You _have_ to. You once told me that you've always dreamed of at least seeing him in person. Now you have a chance to get your wish. Hey, if I wasn't already engaged to be married to Barry, I'd also be pressing my luck."

"Iris!"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm just kidding. Look, just go to see him. You don't even have to win – although, I'm pretty sure you have it in you to win. You'll never know until you try. Right?"

Silence. The only thing Iris sees and hears is Felicity heaving a deep sigh.

Felicity really wanted to, at least her heart did. But her mind begged to disagree. It was telling her that going on national television on a dating contest was a bad idea.

Why was it, again, that she never mustered the courage to leave the Bertinelli home or even Starling Town? She was already a grown woman with a fairly stable job for the last couple of years, for crying out loud. Her fears were just far too many. She wasn't a big fan of uncertain change.

What if she drools right in front of Oliver Queen or embarrasses herself with one of her uncontrollable rambles or inappropriate innuendos? Her greatest antagonist was herself.

Felicity carefully considered her options. First of all, she couldn't believe that the handsome, well-built Canadian superstar was really coming to Starling. She never dreamed that her wish of seeing him in person could come true in the tiny hometown that she had never left since she was born. She had always thought that she would have to save up money, take up the challenge to travel to Los Angeles, and go on a Hollywood studio tour just so that she could chance upon seeing him there. But no, this time, she did not even have to leave Starling to see him. He was coming over. If that was not a sign that this opportunity was for her, then what was?

Also, knowing that she was a big fan on Oliver Queen, Iris had been keeping her up to speed with details about his professional and personal life. Whatever she could not learn from celebrity magazines and TV shows, she got from Iris. Ask Felicity anything about his personal background and filmography, and she would be able to recite the answers from memory. Nevertheless, the best thing she had liked about him was the fact that he had been changing for the better. Ever since the time Iris had covered the news about Oliver Queen being detained for a DUI charge about two years ago, Iris had been filling her in with off-the-record news bits about how he is doing his best to reform himself. The tabloids and gossip columns couldn't seem to let his playboy-bad boy image go, and his critics wouldn't get off his case even if he was clearly getting his life straightened out. Felicity felt for him. This rare opportunity to get to know him in person might just confirm whether or not he was indeed a changed man.

But there were just as many cons as pros. For instance, what would her stepfather and stepsisters say when she tells them that she's planning to join a reality TV show? They'll just laugh at her and make fun of her. It was that, or they were surely going to insult her and say that a geeky nerd like her who had never even dated a guy since high school and never had a serious boyfriend deserved such a chance. She could almost hear her stepfather changing her household chores schedule just to make it difficult for her to get out of the house. She could almost hear Helena and Isabel teasing her that she had nothing in her closet that would come close to "appropriate" for meeting a superstar like Oliver Queen. She didn't even want to mention it to them anymore, because she was absolutely certain that they would "steal" the opportunity from her just like they've stolen countless opportunities for her in the past.

For instance, Cooper Seldon had shown interest in Felicity in senior high, but Helena had gotten her way and charmed the guy even before he got to ask Felicity out on a date. Felicity's teenage dream of studying in MIT and majoring in computer science had not materialized because Frank Bertinelli had claimed that he had a limited budget for the girls' college education and had thought that Isabel was smarter and deserved more to go off to college out of state to study business and finance to carry on their family enterprise.

Felicity had given way and just took up her IT studies at the community college in Starling, graduating at the top of her class with the reputation of "knowing so much more about programming and computer engineering than any of her instructors." She had kept herself up-to-date above and beyond her college education by taking up online courses in advanced coding and cybersecurity, earning two graduate degrees from home in a year's time just by doing so. She had become the most sought-after IT specialist not just in Starling but in the neighboring towns in that part of the state. Almost every business and establishment there was protected by her security systems and supported by software and programs that she had invented, mostly unknown to her arrogant stepfather and stepsisters, who only chose to see her as a freelance computer technician, a designation that she was overqualified for.

* * *

"I know what you're thinking, Lis, but you have to stop." Iris did know her too well. "You can't let your stepdad and your mean, ugly stepsisters control your life any more than they already have. All these years you've allowed them to treat you like dirt when you deserve so much more. Just ask yourself this question. Is this the kind of life that your mom and dad would have wanted for you?"

"Iris, it's not that simple," Felicity replied.

"Yes, it is! And you know it. Aren't you sick and tired of always giving way or giving in? When was the last time you did something that _you_ really wanted to do instead of what _they_ tell you to do? You are not their slave, Felicity. And you can't keep living your life like one. Because you aren't!"

Felicity took a deep breath and dropped her gaze. Iris immediately realized that she might have come on too strong for her friend.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"

"It's okay, Iris. I know you only mean well," Felicity responded, lifting her head to face the screen on her phone once more. "I just… I'm not sure it's worth a shot."

"Felicity Megan Smoak, _you_ are worth this shot. And you have to believe it. I believe it. Don't you at least want to try and do something to make _your_ dreams come true?"

"I… I want to. But…" Felicity hesitated.

"But what?"

"But do you even think Oliver Queen will give me a second look?" she asked her friend for an honest appraisal.

"Are you kidding me? Felicity, you are an awesome person and an amazing woman. You are beautiful and sweet and smart. That alone is a guarantee that he'll want to get to know more than your first name. Trust me. Oliver Queen is going to give you more than a third look," Iris answered with a chuckle.

"I don't know…," Felicity muttered.

"I do," Iris continued confidently. "Now, just give me the green light and I'll make sure your name lands on the short list so that you don't have to fall in line at the studio with all those other girls who don't stand a chance against you."

Felicity smiled at last. When Iris saw it, she said, "Great! Your wish is my command. I'll call you when it's done."

"Okay, thanks. Love you."

"Love you more! Bye, Lis!"

As soon as Iris hung up, Felicity drifted off to dreamland where Oliver Queen was the leading man in a movie that she debuted in.

"Felicity!" She heard her stepdad holler from downstairs. "Felicity, take the garbage out please!"

Her heart sank. It was Isabel's turn to dispose of the day's trash, but this kind of thing always happened. She was always the default daughter when it came to doing the dirty work around the house. This was reality.

"Coming!" she hollered back from her room in the attic.

As she closed the door behind her, she began to regret saying yes to Iris. Maybe she was better off just dreaming about Oliver Queen than actually getting to meet him.

* * *

 **A/N: So, what do you think of this one? The main plot is pretty much drawn up, but if you would like to read something in particular and it could fit into the plot, do let me know and I'll see how I can work with it. Thanks again for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Cinderella (A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes)**

 **Chapter 2**

* * *

 **Summary: Oliver Queen arrives in Starling Town for the shoot.**

* * *

"Thank you so much for doing this, Mr. Queen," said Mayor Lance. "It's not every day that Starling Town gets a celebrity visitor as famous as you."

Oliver Queen took Quentin Lance's hand and gave the town's mayor a firm handshake. "Call me Oliver. It really is my pleasure to be here, Mayor Lance. Plus, I couldn't say 'no' to my sister. It was her idea, actually. She fell in love with this place when she came over for the winter last year. She somehow managed to convince her top bosses to feature your lovely town in their show."

"Glad she did! The entire town is grateful," said the mayor. "Is it okay to ask how you did that, Ms. Queen?"

"Oh, I got them on board the moment I dropped my brother's name as the celebrity guest," replied Thea Queen.

"Smart young lady," Lance remarked, giving Thea a wink.

Thea Queen was one of the show runners of _H.E.A. Today_ , and it had been her idea to feature Starling Town in one of their summer episodes. Starling Town had been fast becoming a tourist destination during the winter season because of the mountainside skiing resort that opened three years ago just a few kilometers from town proper; however, tourism was down during off-seasons, especially in the summer. Improving the income of the town through tourism had been among the campaign platforms of Quentin Lance when he ran for mayor, and even when he had assumed office, he had wanted to maximize the town's potential all-year-round. Thea had met Mayor Lance when she vacationed at the ski resort last January. They struck up a conversation that led to a friendship, which made possible a deal that was a win-win scenario for both the show and the town.

That day, the TV show's crew had gone ahead on a road trip from Central City and arrived at noontime. Thea and Oliver had caught up with them in the afternoon by helicopter.

The sun shone brightly from where the three of them were standing near the open-air deck of the resort's restaurant. The panoramic scene called for a perfect photograph taken on a perfect day.

"So, what is your impression of our little town, Oliver?" the mayor asked the handsome movie star.

"As I said, the town down below is lovely. Loved the old-fashioned country homes that line the main street. And the folks are all so friendly," Oliver replied. "But the view from up here? It's absolutely breath-taking! I could look out from the restaurant's deck and breathe in fresh, pine-scented mountain air all day. That alone is reason enough to pick Starling as a relaxing get-away. This resort has a lot of potential, especially when it's all dressed up so elegantly like this."

"Thank you for the compliment," Mayor Lance responded. "We are trying our best to develop the town, including the main access road leading up to this resort. I've also been working closely with the owner of this place, Mr. Bertinelli, whom you are about to meet in a few minutes. He has invested a lot over the years. First, he transformed and expanded his family's spacious, three-story mountain cabin into a vacation lodge for tourists, and then later on he got some big-shot investor to sign in on a business deal, developing this mountain lodge into a miniature skiing resort. When the resort opened three years ago, people started coming in droves during the winter time," Mayor Lance explained.

Thea was quick to add in her comments. "Well, I'm glad that I discovered this beautiful place. I'm sure that after the show airs this episode we're making, more people would come here even during off-season. Summer in the city can get pretty hot at times. Coming up here just might be the better option. Fun in the sun and getting a tan on some beach resort somewhere seems to have become cliché, if you ask me. Starling Town is the perfect destination to cool off in the summer. Didn't you mention something about mountain climbing and rappelling, too, Mayor Lance?"

"Oh, yes! Mr. Bertinelli has been trying to negotiate a lease on the property on the other side of this mountain, not too far from here. He and his business partner would like to venture on something like that," Lance answered.

"Then, I guess I'll be coming back to Starling very soon, too, Mr. Mayor," Oliver said. "You know, I am a big fan of the great outdoors, and I love extreme sports. I'd like to try those things when they're ready. Who knows? We might even be able to film here when the time comes."

"That'd be great! I'm so looking forward to that," the mayor replied enthusiastically.

* * *

A few minutes later, Frank Bertinelli stepped into the room to meet them. Mayor Lance did the introductions, and Thea thanked Mr. Bertinelli for granting permission to shoot an episode of the show in his resort. Likewise, the proud businessman thanked her for selecting his resort and lodge as the location for their shoot. Mr. Bertinelli also thanked Oliver for agreeing to be the celebrity guest on the show, flattering him with many flowery words and saying that this episode would bring in more revenue not just for his business, but also for the town.

"Well, good luck on your first shoot tomorrow morning," Frank Bertinelli told Thea and Oliver. "Thank you, Mr. Bertinelli," Thea replied.

Mr. Bertinelli added, "I regret I won't be around to witness that, as I have an important meeting with my contractor in my house in town, which I was unable to reschedule. But I will be back in the late afternoon. I was told that Mr. Queen here will be choosing the winner of the dinner date in the evening shoot. Am I right?"

"Oh yes," Thea answered. "It will all go down pretty fast and smoothly, I hope. We're shooting all the individual interviews with the contestants in the morning, and then we're shooting each girl's first meet with Oliver in the afternoon. Oliver's reveal of his choice will be shot in the evening right out there on deck, under the stars and the moonlight. We wanted a more romantic ambience."

"Good! It seems like you're all set," Mr. Bertinelli said. "If you'll excuse me now, I'll be doing an inspection of the premises to make sure everything is fine, beginning with your accommodations."

"The accommodations are just fine, Mr. Bertinelli," said Oliver. "I love the suite I was given, by the way. View's fantastic! But is there something that can be done about the WiFi? There seems to be something wrong with it. I'm getting a strong signal in my room, but there doesn't seem to be any connectivity or something. I just need to get some work done on my laptop and download the prompts for the shoots tomorrow."

"Oh?" Mr. Bertinelli sounded surprised. "I'm very sorry about that. But not to worry. I'll send our resident technician up to your room as soon as she can. She takes care of the Internet here and everything else related to technology. She's really got the smarts for things like that. She's just finishing up installing additional CCTVs in the resort for better security while you're here."

"Thank you so much. I appreciate it," said Oliver.

Mr. Bertinelli excused himself from the group, while Oliver and Thea carried on a casual conversation with the mayor a little longer. Mayor Lance expressed gratitude to Thea for putting his two daughters, Laurel and Sara on the shortlist for the episode's contestants, in addition to Mr. Bertinelli's own two daughters, Helena and Isabel. Their daughters were die-hard fans of Oliver Queen, and as Mayor, he had asked Thea for the favor way back when the deal for the show was finalized a few months ago.

* * *

By the time Oliver made it back to his room, it was almost dinner time. At first, he was a bit alarmed to find that the door to his room was unlocked. But when he remembered that Mr. Bertinelli had promised to send someone to check his Internet connection, he relaxed a bit. He figured that the technician must have gotten in using the lodge's master keys to do the task while the room had been unoccupied. So, he turned the door knob and push the door open slowly.

"Hello?" he said with a modulated tone of voice, so as not to startle anyone who might be in the room.

He stepped into the room and looked around. The curtains were still drawn, and sunlight was still illuminating every corner of the room. Everything seemed to be in order, just like he had left the room earlier to meet Mayor Lance in the restaurant. His bags were untouched, and his windbreaker still lay on the quilted bed just as he left it. But when he looked to the left side of the room where the sliding door to the balcony was, what he saw instantly amused him.

Oh, it wasn't the pair of shapely legs wearing dark blue, ripped skinny jeans that amused him, nor was it the glorious bottom of a young woman that was sticking out from underneath the pinewood desk. What amused him tremendously and caused his face to break out with a wide grin was the pair of ballet flats adorned with pandas, which had come off her feet in her clumsy attempt to crawl underneath the said desk to reach something. Her pink-painted toes wiggled as she worked while awkwardly humming a familiar pop tune.

Oliver approached the crouching woman slowly and cleared his throat. "Uhm, excuse me, miss? How much longer is this going to take?"

He clearly heard the woman gasp, and he regretted having startled her this way, because along with the single yet substantial intake of air was heard the loud sound of her hitting her head against the wooden desk. "Ow!" Oliver winced. That must have hurt. Getting down on all fours and crawling underneath a desk as low as the one in his suite was already a difficult, uncomfortable task; hitting her head like that just made it even more uncomfortable for her.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. Uhm, do you need help getting out of there?" Oliver offered.

"It's okay. No need to apologize. It's not your fault that the idiots who installed the cables had to run them along the wall so low behind this very heavy desk that I couldn't move an inch!" the woman babbled rapidly while slowly crawling backwards to get out from under the desk. "It's just… Ugh! It's amazing how I always manage to embarrass myself this way, especially when I'm only trying to help. The view of me from out there must be less than appealing right now, and I just wish that-"

When she finally made it out from underneath the desk, put her shoes back on, and stood up to see who the stranger that had witnessed another of her humiliating feats was, she was completely flabbergasted to find the man of her dreams standing in front of her. Oliver Queen! She could not believe her eyes. She knew that he was arriving at her step-dad's resort today, but she did not know that she had been sent to _his_ room, of all places.

Oliver, on the other hand, had found her reaction even more amusing. How could he not? Her jaw dropped, her eyes widened, and her eyebrows shot up to her hairline. Her dark-rimmed glasses were askew, almost falling off the bridge of her nose. Strands of her blonde hair that had been tied up in a ponytail were sticking out. And yet, he still thought that no one had looked more adorable than she did at that moment. She had the perfect pair of blue eyes, a cute nose, and the sweetest pink lips ever. The light blue open sweater she wore on top of a plain white camisole that wasn't thick enough to hide the patterns of the blue lace underwear she wore underneath. Her babbling did not even turn him off. On the contrary, Oliver thought that her personality suited her physical features, as well as her get-up. He wondered how a computer and Internet technician could look so pretty despite the eyeglasses and the messy ponytail. It was the panda flats that completed the look.

Oliver decided to end her misery by introducing himself politely. "Hi, I'm Oliver Queen."

When she finally managed to find her voice and move her jaw once more, she replied, "I… I know who you are. You're Mr. Queen."

"No. Mr. Queen was my father," Oliver replied with a warm smile. "Call me Oliver."

"Oliver…" She loved how his name rolled off her tongue. Actually, he did too.

"You must be the girl Mr. Bertinelli sent over. To fix the WiFi. Right?"

"Uh-huh…"

Oliver thought she became even more amusing and adorable by the second, especially when she stood there fangirling and staring at him in a dreamy daze. And yet, he could not shake off the feeling that there was just something about this girl that was special.

"Well, is it fixed?" he asked nicely, unable to wipe off the smirk on his face.

"Uh-huh…"

"Thank you. For your help."

"Uh-huh…" She was still staring, star-struck. Not finding words to say was most certainly unprecedented for Felicity Smoak, but a situation like this called for being fashionably speechless.

There was a knock on the door, which snapped her out of her daze. It was Mr. Bertinelli. "Did you get it done?" Bertinelli asked her.

"Yes, Frank. Internet should be up and running. There was just something wrong with the cables. Fixed it already," she told him, as her smile faded upon seeing her stepfather at the door.

Felicity remembered well the conversation they'd had at home a couple of weeks ago, when she had expressed how much she wanted to be a contestant on the reality TV dating show. Helena and Isabel had only laughed at her, telling her to forget all about it since she'd never get the chance like they did, thanks to Mayor Lance's connections. But when she had told them that she had received a call from the show informing her that she had made it to the shortlist, her stepsisters had been dumbfounded and had looked to their dad for a stern response. Her stepdad had smirked in a sarcastic kind of way and said to her, "Well, that's too bad, Felicity. The production staff have already called and informed me when they're going to shoot the episode at the resort, and I'm afraid the lodge will be very busy accommodating the cast and crew. I will need you for tech and IT support the whole time they're shooting. That's all you're good at anyway, right? I'm sorry, dear, but playing Cinderella just isn't really for you, I guess." She had walked away utterly frustrated and sad.

Turning to Oliver but avoiding eye contact because of embarrassment, Felicity said, "Excuse me, Mr. Queen. I have to go now. You shouldn't have any problems with the Internet now." A light blush had blossomed on her face once again as their eyes met briefly.

"Thanks again. It was _very_ nice meeting you," Oliver said to her. He was going to offer her a handshake, because he wanted to know how the palm of her cute little hand felt (and he would have found them a bit course and rough because of all the chores she had done at home while growing up), but she was quick to say, "You're welcome," as she left the room in haste.

Oliver thought positively, hoping he'd run into her again while they stayed at the lodge since she worked there. But his biggest regret was that he hadn't even been able to get her name. Next time, he would.

* * *

 **A/N: So, they've met! :-) Your thoughts on this one? Would love to hear from you.**

 **Next update will be the shoot and how Oliver is going to make his choice. But I'm afraid that you, awesome readers, will have to wait four weeks to get it. I really hope that's okay? I'll be off with the whole family on a month-long (and much-deserved) vacation out of the country, the first real vacation I'm getting in five years. It's a much-needed break especially since my family and I are still grieving over Papa's loss. So excited! I hope you'll still be there when I pick up from here.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Cinderella (A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes)**

 **Chapter 3**

* * *

 **A/N: Yey! I'm back from vacay, at last. Actually, I've been back for a couple of weeks now, but settling back into the daily grind at work has kept me pretty busy. It wasn't easy to pick up from where I last left off with my WIPs (especially when I came back from a month-long vacation with a few fresh ideas for fics that I just had to start writing down before they become stale). I hope you understand. And I do hope that this update will make up for the long wait. Thank you for still following this fic. You guys are awesome!**

 **Summary: Shooting for the reality TV show's episode begins, but Felicity is in a bind. Oliver is supposed to make a choice, but he is constrained by some technicalities.**

* * *

The individual interviews with the contestants vying for the chance-of-a-lifetime dinner date with Oliver Queen were almost done.

Five minutes ago, in the Bertinelli mountain lodge, Felicity had passed the study where the shoot was taking place. She had overheard a tall, dark-skinned guy with curly black hair wearing an ID that identified him as "Curtis, production assistant," say that they had just finished shooting the interview with the tenth woman on the list named Laurel Lance, whom Felicity knew was the daughter of the mayor. The short and chubby woman that Curtis had been talking to had said that if the contestant named Felicity Smoak did not arrive in ten minutes, she would be eliminated by default, and the last contestant on the shortlist named Isabel would be the last interviewee to shoot that morning.

Felicity felt awful. She wanted so badly to be part of this life-altering event, but her stepdad had left her a long list of technical tasks to do around the lodge. Frank could not make it to observe the shoot that morning because of an important meeting with his contractor, but he had messaged her during breakfast that he expected all tasks to be done by mid-day before he arrived, and that her stepsister Isabel was going to check on her in his stead. Why were her family members too hard on her? She had always done everything they'd asked of her. This time, she had been the one to ask for a special favor, but they couldn't show even just a tad bit of consideration for her sake. Didn't they think she deserved to be happy, too?

Felicity glanced at her watch, and her heart sank. She still had a couple of things on her "To Do" list. She could actually finish them in under ten minutes, yet even then, that did not leave her enough time to go home and get changed into a more suitable outfit and have the hair-and-makeup crew do their wonders on her face and hair for the interview. She might as well just give up and accept the fact that joining the reality show was a lost cause, and that meeting Oliver Queen in person was never going to happen.

"Isabel Rochev Bertinelli?" called Curtis. From the hallway, everyone heard the squeal of Felicity's stepsister confirming her presence.

Isabel quickly scurried into the study, while Felicity walked away towards the huge foyer of the lodge where the reception area was. The nearest computer was there. She needed to send an important email to their cable TV service provider and then pay online for Frank's airline ticket to San Francisco.

As Felicity rounded the corner from the hallway to the foyer, she heard a familiar, friendly voice calling out for her. "Lis!" cried Iris.

Felicity looked up and smiled. Seeing her best friend was like a timely ray of sunshine in the midst of a bleak, frustrating day. "What are you doing here, Iris? When did you arrive?" she asked, surprised.

"Just got here. My editor sent me to cover Oliver Queen's guesting for _H.E.A. Today_. They're counting on me to bring back spoilers and teasers," Iris replied. "Has the shoot started?"

"Yeah… It's almost done actually," Felicity answered, her voice laced with disappointment that she tried to hide from her best friend.

"So, have you had your turn to be interviewed yet?" Iris asked excitedly like before. Though, she wondered why Felicity wasn't quite dressed for the occasion.

Felicity was quiet. Iris, sensing that something was wrong, immediately probed her. "What happened, Lis? What's wrong?" When Felicity still couldn't answer, much less look at her friend's eyes, Iris knew. "Who'd done it this time, Lis? Helena? Isabel? Or is it Frank?" she asked angrily.

"I can't make it to the shoot. I've got work to do here-"

"Which your inconsiderate, selfish stepdad made you do. To keep you from joining the contest!"

Felicity bit her lip. She knew she didn't have to say a word and Iris would still figure it out.

Grabbing her by the wrist, Iris practically dragged her from the foyer to the hallway. "Where are they shooting the interviews?" she asked, marching briskly with Felicity right behind her. "Are they in the living room?"

"In the study. Iris, please…"

Iris stopped walking and told her with a determined look, "Lis, listen to me. They can't keep doing this to you. You have a life, and you have to _live_ it! This is your chance. Take it." She stopped walking, and she noticed the clipboard in Felicity's hand. "And I'll be taking _that_ from you." Iris looked at the list of things Felicity was supposed to do, and her eyes landed on the uncrossed items on the list. She told Felicity, "I can do these. Frank doesn't have to know." She then turned Felicity around to face the hallway that led to the study. "Now go, girl," she ordered her friend, giving her a gentle push in the right direction.

Hesitating, Felicity looked back at her friend. "Dressed like this?"

Iris looked at her friend from head to foot and back up. Her bright pink, knitted top wasn't too shabby or old-fashioned. It was actually cute on her; the color reflected back on her face, which was devoid of make-up at the moment. She wore her favorite pair of ripped denim jeans, and her panda flats. Iris sighed. She knew that the show would only dress up the five finalists that the celebrity bachelor would pick. Felicity's current get-up appeared ordinary for an important television appearance, and perhaps not enough to make a lasting impression on her dream date. But Iris believed in her best friend. All Felicity needed was a little (and quick) make-over, and her innate beauty and brightness would take care of the rest.

Iris removed her denim jacket and told Felicity, "Here, wear this," and then she led her friend to the study. Isabel's interview was on-going, and they could hear her voice (and her giggles) as they approached the said room. Just as they were about to enter the room, Curtis came out.

"Can I help you, ladies?" he asked.

"Yes!" Iris answered cheerfully. "This is Felicity Smoak. I believe she's on your list?"

Curtis looked at the list of names in his file and looked up with a smile, "Well, Felicity Smoak, you made it just in time."

Iris smiled, proud of what she had accomplished. Felicity began to smile shyly, too, for hope began to rise in her heart.

Curtis' smile faded somewhat, however, when he saw that Felicity wasn't quite ready for the cameras yet. "Follow me, sweetheart. I'm sure there's something our make-up artists can do in ten minutes. They can work wonders," he told Felicity.

Iris let Felicity go, speaking words of reassurance and promising her friend that she was immediately going to work on her unfinished tasks. Felicity was grateful. Both her stepsisters were preoccupied with the shoot, and her stepdad out of the picture. She just might have a chance at making her dream come true.

* * *

Felicity Megan Smoak.

"So… that's _her_ name," Oliver thought to himself. She wasn't as made-up as the eleven other girls that made it to the short list. She looked quite simple, dressed in just denims and a pink, knitted top, and her hair was a little loosely fish-braided to the side. She still looked pretty nonetheless. He was glad that they didn't put too much make-up on her face; she really didn't need it.

He'd been watching the interview clips that were shot of each contestant that morning. It was a working lunch for him, having gone through the profiles of the women vying for his attention, and eventually, his company. He had immediately recognized Felicity as the girl who had helped him with the Internet problem in his suite, from the photograph attached to her file. But she was much more beautiful in person, really, especially without her glasses getting in the way of her ocean blue eyes.

For a brief moment, Oliver had daydreamed what it would be like for her to be his leading lady in a major Hollywood action movie. He wondered how it would feel to hold her close, wrap his arm around her, and swing across an elevator shaft together in a daring stunt. Thea had seen the goofy grin that instantly spread on his face and asked him what was so funny, but he didn't even hear her.

He'd been bored watching the clips of the first ten contestants, disgusted a couple of times with the interviews of one Helena Bertinelli and of another named Isabel, who turned out to be sisters. What was it with sisters in this town? Mayor Lance's own daughters wanted a chance to go on a date with him as well. But when Felicity's interview footage played on the monitor, Oliver knew that he already had a choice. He told Thea that he didn't care about the last interview. His mind was made up.

Thea reasoned with him that he was only supposed to pick five contestants at this point in the competition, not one. The final five still had to be filmed meeting him for the first time. Oliver reiterated that he already knew which woman he wanted to go out with, but Thea scolded him, "That's not how the show works, Ollie!" He knew he wasn't the one calling the shots this time. Thea was not in her usual role as his younger sister; she was a producer of the show that he was being paid to be on. So, with exasperation written all over his face, he promised to cooperate.

Along with Felicity, Oliver picked one of the Lance sisters out of courtesy to the Mayor, and one of the Bertinelli sisters as gratuity to the owner of the lodge they were filming in. He told Thea, "For the record, you made me do this." He then randomly picked a smart-looking, long-legged brunette by the name of Susan Williams – only because she looked a lot like the handful of actresses that he had typically dated in the past. The final selection was made by the production staff, who thought that throwing an African American girl named McKenna Hall into the mix of blondes and brunettes would cater to a wider television audience.

It took the production crew about an hour to get all five girls dolled up and ready for shooting their first meets with Oliver. By three o'clock in the afternoon, they started filming in the veranda overlooking the skiing slope of the mountain in the distance. One girl after another came, each one dressed in attractive dresses and flashing him radiant smiles, hoping to win his heart. However, for Oliver, none was more attractive and radiant than one Felicity Smoak.

At Thea's prompting, Felicity had been ushered into the veranda last. Thea had coached the director to make sure to capture close-up shots of both her and Oliver when they first laid eyes on each other that day. Both producer and director were pleased with the results. Editing those shots and footage into an episode trailer was definitely going to bring the show's ratings up.

But Oliver was oblivious to all this. At that moment, he didn't care about ratings. All he cared about was the beautiful woman clad in a captivating, golden cocktail dress, her blonde tresses curled and cascading down her shoulders. All he cared about was _her_ , standing right in front of him with a breathtaking, shy smile on her face. As far as he was concerned, in just a couple of hours he would be choosing Felicity to be his date, on the deck of a mountaintop lodge, with the sunset in the background. Unlike Thea, Oliver wasn't thinking about how that would be the perfect, romantic scene for thousands of viewers to watch and hundreds of fans to swoon over in a few weeks' time. What Oliver was thinking about was that he couldn't wait to plant a kiss on the back of Felicity's hand when he tells her that she's the one he wanted.


End file.
